My EQ memories (in detail)

Kika Maslyaka · #1 03-08-2012, 12:33 AM

For no apparent reason I decide to write this huge post about my EQ memories, specifically those I remember in great details.
Feel free to post yours.

------------------------------------------------------------

0. How it all started. My RPG background mostly included Diablo and Baldur's Gate (which I never finished cause at some point difficulty got too much for me and I got bored). I was out of good game to play for more than a month and started looking at Ultima Online, when suddenly I read review about EQ on Gamespot.com. I still remember one specifically large and detailed review posted by a person who playing a Druid. The review must have been at least 20 pages long, and kept reading it over and over, and finally got hooked.

I have purchased the game at my local BestBuy and headed home.
I remember the very beginning of the Tutorial, where when you start on the little bridge, your controls are locked so you cannot go past the tutorial npc, wihotu taking to him first. I remember being shown how to sell, bank, and fought a skeleton at graveyard. When tutorial was over, only then I realized there was a huge patch I had to download before I could get into the game - thank God for the brand new USR 56k modem! But finaly, the game loaded...

From my experience playing Baldurs Gate, I have made a conclusion that all the non human races are silly, and all their special abilities are weird and stupid, and generally do not worth their stat penalties (in BG humans had the largest stat pool due to having 0 special abilities). And of course Warrior was the only good class (paladins and rangers were just underpowered in melee compared to warriors, and casters just sucked - that was my experience from playing BG. It was utterly wrong of course, but this what I had in my mind at the time)

So with above in mind, I have proudly made a Human Warrior, Agnostic, starting in Qeynos...

1. So it began. I was standing in a tavern and there were some npcs around me. later i found out it was the Fish Ale tavern. I equipped my sword, and went out of the door.
It was night time outside. It was dark and raining. I could barely see 10 feet away, but street lights were enough to make out buildings around me. The lightning was rocking and the feel of a full 3D world with environmental details like rain and lightening forever left their impression on me. This is how I remember my first 5 minutes into my long EQ life.

So I have read my GM note, somehow found the Arena and got my guild tunic. Some time later I made it to North Qeynos, and finally into the park area where I started my hunting.

2. Fast forward to level 3. After few hours of playing I discovered how valuable the bags are, how annoying the gnoll pups are, and to stay the hell away from the fire beetles!!! [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] It was still raining by that time, but it was already day time, so I could see further away, so while making my circles around the park, I always made sure not to live the sight of the main gates of the city. At some point I ventured too far along the wall and zoned into Qeynos Hills...
It was still raining, and my clip plane was all way down (as I later found out) so i could not see more than 10 feet away.
"This area maybe way too dangerous" I said to myself "better get couple more levels in the park before going here". So I promptly went back.

3. Fast forward to level 6 or so. Now running around Qeynos Hills, and confidently taking on these large wolves and skeletons, I for the first time found how SCARY the night time can become. back in North Qeynos, even at night, the gates were always very near, but in the hills i kept going in circles unable to return to where I have started. Dieing multiple times while running from 1 mob and into another, unable to find my corpse, and keep circling and circling, until somehow I made it all way to the Ruins, even though, I was sure I was somewhere in the area between the Tower and the Millers House.

The reason reason I run towards the ruins is cause there was LIGHT coming out of that spot, which draw me in like fire draws night bugs - to my death [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
I had a skeleton chasing me for a while at that time, and I saw some people sitting by the ruins, and i run to them for help. Suddenly, a huge brown skeleton poped out of the ground right in front of me, and proceeded hitting me like a truck.
Screaming and cursing, I started running around the ruins like mad, probably picking a few more skeletons in the process. The group that was there manged to get the dread corpse off me and even heal me. I should have backed away from the ruins at this point, but I had no idea that skeletons were statically spawning there, so I stood like an idiot in the middle of the ruins examining my new cool buff someone gave me. I can't recall the name right now, but It was a STR debuff that dread corpse proced on me. But I could not figure out why, if it was a buff, my STR got reduced??? While I was pondering on this question and asking in /ooc, another skeleton spawned right on top of me and finally finished me off...

By the time I respawned and run back, the sun was up, and I started looking around. Now for the first time I finally realized how far from the Millers house I made, when I suddenly saw ruins on top of the hill. pretty far away from where I thought I was. I claimed my corpse, and went back to the Millers House to sell.

From now on, I was only hunting around the house, making sure not to venture too far from it. As soon as the night would come, I would sit on the house stairs, regaining my health and listening to the most beautiful melody, that doesn't play in any other place in EQ, but here.
I was staring into the night, and planning how I would go out hunting again, as soon as sun comes back out...
This is probably my strongest nostalgic memory of my first days of EQ.

------------------------

to be continued [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Lill-Leif · #2 03-09-2012, 05:49 AM

All these threads usually end at lvl 15 or so.

"Today I grinded a shitload of mobs for a yellow bub of xp"

Ikonoclastia · #3 03-09-2012, 06:07 AM

My first few hours went something like:

1. Lost for an hour in Neriak trying to get GM.
2. Lost for an hour in Neriak trying to get out of Neriak.
3. Given a nice new gossamer robe by a nice player.
4. Exping by log in Nektolus when kablam, PK'ed!
5. Trying to find body, finding my beautiful robe was stolen.
6. Just as it was dawning on me that people must be able to steal your gear, Kablam!! PK'ed.
Goto 4.

Lovely game, was addicted although eventually left server and went to Firiona Vie cus soloing is what I like and soloing on that server was virtually impossible [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

bridgetroll · #4 03-09-2012, 10:26 AM

totally forgot about that tutorial in old eq. thanks for helping me remember. i can still remember seeing eq for the first time at a friend's house. blew my mind.

Swish · #5 03-09-2012, 10:28 AM

I had to take EQ back to the shop TWICE because the CD key wasn't valid...I think someone was trying to tell me something in hindsight given the years wasted on it and becoming a slacker [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Striiker · #6 03-09-2012, 10:56 AM

Great recollection of the old days. I shared some of your experiences in the Qeynos area as that was where I made my first EQ character. A half-elf Paladin (whom I only played to about level 18 or so).
It certainly was a different world back then. There were no websites listing off quests, items, mobs, etc. There were no maps (save the useless ones which shipped in the original EQ box). Cries of "has anyone seen my corpse?" were the norm. In fact, I would always send a tell to any player when I would stumble upon their corpse (especially in West Karana).
I remember attacking the NPC's by accident because I hit the wrong key when typing. I also remember how scary it was moving beyond the safety of Qeynos to Qeynos Hills. I certainly remember meeting people sitting and fighting around the stone road marker in Qeynos Hills. We all grouped up and decided to head off towards West Karana, not knowing what to expect. It was nighttime in the game and raining with thunder booming. It's an experience which I will always cherish and which immediately comes to mind when I think of Everquest's early days.
We all explored the area, finding the guard towers along the roads, setting up camp at what we called "T2", the last guard tower on the hill near the Miller's farm. Spiders, lions, wolves, giant fire beetles, and the like fell before us. We marveled at a roaming Treant and wiped out to a brigand who decided to stop by.
I could go on for hours about these early experiences.

Messianic · #7 03-09-2012, 10:59 AM

One of my coolest memories was watching the sun actually descend into the horizon in EQ time (was amazing for its time) and watching things get really dark and barely being able to see anything since I was human.

The music was epic, too.

RiffDaemon · #8 03-09-2012, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kika Maslyaka [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

From my experience playing Baldurs Gate, I have made a conclusion that .. Warrior was the only good class (paladins and rangers were just underpowered in melee compared to warriors, and casters just sucked - that was my experience from playing BG. It was utterly wrong of course, but this what I had in my mind at the time)

Hahaha, casters were so overpowered in Baldur's Gate. With a fighter-mage, I solo'ed all of BGII. The Black Blade of Disaster just made things incredibly unfair for all parties involved.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Messianic [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

One of my coolest memories was watching the sun actually descend into the horizon in EQ time (was amazing for its time) and watching things get really dark and barely being able to see anything since I was human.

When I start a Human character, I'm keeping the gamma down for this very reason. I loved being blind. I remember collecting fire beetle eyes and bear pelts in EC until the sun started to set; and when it finally did, I'd run over to Inn 1 to wait out the night and hope nothing jumped out at me from the darkness.

Ok, I think I really need to roll a Human now....

eqravenprince · #9 03-09-2012, 01:12 PM

I just remember the game feeling so real to me. First day in EQ, I'm in Qeynos wandering around. When it started raining, I actually ran into a building to get out of the rain. Sad, but true.

eqravenprince · #10 03-09-2012, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiffDaemon [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

When I start a Human character, I'm keeping the gamma down for this very reason. I loved being blind. I remember collecting fire beetle eyes and bear pelts in EC until the sun started to set; and when it finally did, I'd run over to Inn 1 to wait out the night and hope nothing jumped out at me from the darkness.

Then someone Shouts "Griffin near Inn1" and you think to yourself that you are safe, you are inside a building. Then BAM! "Griffin hits you for 140 damage!"